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In This Section
Action movie 'Avatar' shows off big budget
'Up in the Air' lets Clooney soar
We've heard it all before in predictable 'Morgans'
Bleak 'The Road' is one joyless ride
Now showing - Movies week of Dec. 17
Family Views - 'The Princess and the Frog;' 'Invictus'
'Princess and the Frog' is a hearty hop
Most Read Stories
Mangini believes Holmgren understands situation
Police believe visitors killed Akron man
Shoe store treads new ground to survive
Exotic dancer stays in 'Christmas Story' house
Police officer loses driving privileges
Summit County gives pink slips to 30 deputies
Police stop generous 5th-grader with $10,000
Blogs:
Pets:
Don't Forget About Your Dog!
The Heldenfiles:
Time Traveler Closing (Updated)
Patrick McManamon:
Jogging the holiday memory banks
Akron Zips:
Akron vs. Illinois-Chicago — Liveblog
Tribe Matters:
Tribe gets pitcher to complete Shoppach trade
Cleveland Browns:
Quinn placed on IR
Kent State Sports:
KSU gets home cookin' in win
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Cavs at Phoenix Suns – Abridged Version
Buckeye Blogging:
Bucks Meet Ducks for Rose Bowl Crown
Varsity Letters:
Report: RB to visit Akron
All Da King's Men:
Reality Warp
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Follow The Money
Akron Law Café:
The University of Akron School of Law Open House – January 9th
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Car Chase:
What do you want for Christmas (part two)?
Let's Talk Real Estate:
All I want for Christmas…..
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Sharon is looking for a place to take a sleigh ride.
Sound Check:
On the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Genetic Discrimination
Akron Gamer:
Video game watchdog shuts down, victim of economy
Published on Thursday, Sep 18, 2008
Ratings as appeared in Beacon Journal film critic and wire-service reviews:
♥=Weak
♥♥=Mediocre
♥♥♥=Worth Seeing
♥♥♥♥=Shouldn't Be Missed
Opening Friday
GHOST TOWN — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — some strong language, sexual humor, drug references) Bertram Pincus (Ricky Gervais), who is dead for seven minutes during a routine medical procedure, awakens to realize he has gained the ability to see and communicate with ghosts. Problem No. 1: He never had people skills, in life or in death. Problem No. 2: His ghostly patron, Frank Herlihy (Greg Kinnear), pesters him into meddling with the impending marriage of his widow, Gwen (Tea Leoni). 1 hour, 42 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, West Market Plaza 7, Wooster Movies 10
IGOR — ♥1/2
(PG — some thematic elements, scary images, action, mild language) John Cusack is the voice of the title character, who aims to prove he's more than a hunchbacked gofer by creating an evil behemoth woman (Molly Shannon), who turns out to be a pussycat. Voice cast includes Steve Buscemi, Sean Hayes, Eddie Izzard, Jay Leno and Jennifer Coolidge. 1 hour, 20 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, West Market Plaza 7, Wooster Movies 10
LAKEVIEW TERRACE — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — intense thematic material, violence, sexuality, language, some drug references) Samuel L. Jackson plays a cop who makes life hell for an interracial couple (Kerry Washington and Patrick Wilson) that moves in next door. It's a tightly wound thriller, alive and provoking. 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, West Market Plaza 7, Wooster Movies 10, Midway Twin Drive-In
MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL
(R — strong language, sexual content throughout, including graphic dialogue, some nudity) Tank (Dane Cook) makes a living as an uncouth womanizer hired by guys who want their girlfriends or wives to reconsider leaving them. But what happens when his behavior has the opposite effect on Alexis (Kate Hudson), the love of his best friend's (Jason Biggs) life?1 hour, 41 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, West Market Plaza 7, Wooster Movies 10
Playing Friday
through
next week
BABYLON A.D. — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — intense sequences of violence and action, language, some sexuality) A mercenary (Vin Diesel) escorts a woman from Russia to America. He discovers his client is carrying a virus that could bring about the end of humankind. 1 hour, 41 minutes.
Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Jackson Township Movies 10, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Valley View 24
BANGKOK DANGEROUS —♥1/2
(R — violence, language, some sexuality) A hit man, who is in Bangkok to pull off a series of jobs, falls for a woman and bonds with his errand boy. Stars Nicolas Cage. 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Massillon 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
BOTTLE SHOCK — ♥♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — brief strong language, some sexual content and a scene of drug use) Based on the true story of how in the bicentennial year of 1976, unknown Napa Valley vineyards defeated famous French wines in a blind taste-testing. 1 hour, 52 minutes.
Cedar Lee, Montrose 12
BURN AFTER READING — ♥♥♥
(R — pervasive language, some sexual content and violence) The Coen brothers' screwball comedy that occasionally becomes something more. The characters are zany, the plot coils upon itself with dizzy zeal and the roles seem like a perfect fit. The plot involves the missing computer disk of a fired CIA agent (John Malkovich), and no one in it understands the big picture. With George Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton and Brad Pitt. 1 hour, 35 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
THE DARK KNIGHT — ♥♥♥3/4
(PG-13 — intense sequences of violence and some menace) Batman isn't a comic book anymore. Big, thoughtful, pain-laced, violence-streaked, unsettling movie in which the late Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker is one of many virtues. 2 hours, 32 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24, West Market Plaza 7, Wooster Movies 10, Magic City Drive-In
DEATH RACE — ♥1/2
(R — strong violence and language) A race car driver (Jason Statham) is framed for murder and sent to a prison overseen by a warden (Joan Allen), who has created the country's most popular sport: a kill-or-be-killed car race in which her inmates compete for their freedom. 1 hour, 44 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24, Midway Drive-In
DISASTER MOVIE — ♥
(PG-13 — crude and sexual content throughout, language, drug references, comic violence) Parody. Over the course of one evening, a group of 20-somethings is bombarded by a series of natural disasters and catastrophic events. 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Massillon 12, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
ELEGY — ♥♥♥♥
(R — sexuality, nudity and language) Ben Kingsley as a crafty literature professor who singles out one female student every semester for his attentions. Penelope Cruz plays the prey who gets to him — gets under his skin and inflames his jealousy. Then the story takes a turn. 1 hour, 46 minutes.
Cedar Lee, Montrose 12
THE FAMILY THAT PREYS — ♥1/2
(PG-13 — sexual references, brief violence) — Faced with a series of secrets and scandals that are threatening to tear their respective families apart, old friends Charlotte Cartwright (Kathy Bates) and Alice Pratt (Alfre Woodard) embark on a cross-country road trip in hopes of finding a way to end the drama and rebuild their familial connections. From Tyler Perry. 1 hour, 51 minutes.
Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24
FLY ME TO THE MOON — ♥♥
(G) A well-intentioned exercise at blending education and family entertainment, this 3-D animated tale ends up being only mildly educational and not all that entertaining. It's the story of three flies that tag along with Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins on Apollo 11's moon shot. 1 hour, 29 minutes.
Massillon 12, Valley View 24
FROZEN RIVER — ♥♥♥
(R — language, violence, children in peril) — Melissa Leo and Misty Upham play two mothers, one white, one American Indian, who live without male support in shabby house trailers on the U.S.-Quebec border: Mohawk territory. In desperate economic need, they engage in the smuggling of aliens across the border, which involves a perilous car trip across the frozen river. 1 hour, 37 minutes.
Cedar Lee
GET SMART — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — some rude humor, action violence and language) Classic sitcom that cleverly satirized Cold War espionage has been transformed for the big screen into an even smarter vehicle. 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
HANCOCK — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and language) An apathetic, hard-living superhero (Will Smith) hooks up with a public-relations professional who wants to improve the superhero's image. 1 hour, 32 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
THE HOUSE BUNNY — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — sex-related humor, partial nudity and brief strong language) A Playboy bunny (Anna Faris) becomes the new house mother for a sorority in jeopardy. 1 hour, 38 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Garrettsville Cinemas, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24, West Market Plaza 7, Wooster Movies 10
IN SEARCH OF A MIDNIGHT KISS — ♥♥♥1/2
(No industry rating) Two lonely people seeking a New Year's Eve date meet through Craigslist. She interviews him at a cafe to be sure he's not a loser. In a way, they both are, but on a long day's journey through the night they reveal themselves, and we care about them. Glorious black-and-white cinematography. 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Cedar Lee
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — adventure violence, scary images) — Harrison Ford returns as the iconic adventurer. 2 hours, 4 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
IRON MAN — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — some intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, and brief suggestive content) Robert Downey Jr. dons a metal suit to fight evil in this Marvel comic adaptation. 2 hours, 6 minutes.
Jackson Township Movies 10
JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH — ♥♥1/2
(PG — intense adventure action and some scary moments) There is a world inside our own, populated by glowing birds, man-eating plants, giant-fanged fish and a T-Rex. With Brendan Fraser, Josh Hutcherson. 1 hour, 33 minutes.
Great Oaks Cinema, Massillon 12, Valley View 24
KIT KITTREDGE: AN AMERICAN GIRL — ♥♥♥1/2
(G) Inspired by one of the American Girl dolls, and just about perfect for its target audience, with a great look, engaging performances, real substance and even a few whispers of political ideas. With Abigail Breslin. 1 hour, 44 minutes.
Big Picture, Jackson Township Movies 10
KUNG FU PANDA — ♥♥♥
(PG — sequences of martial arts action) Po (Jack Black), a reluctant panda bear, is recruited by a team of kung fu masters and trained in the ways of the ancient martial art to protect the Valley of Peace from an evil snow leopard. 1
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Great Oaks Cinema, Jackson Township Movies 10
THE LONGSHOTS — ♥♥♥
(PG — some thematic elements, mild language and brief rude humor) Based on the true story of Jasmine Plummer, 11, from the Chicago suburb of Harvey, who in 2003 became the first girl to play quarterback in the Pop Warner football tournament. Starring Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee) and Ice Cube as a niece and her uncle, who teaches her all he knows about quarterbacking. 1 hour, 34 minutes.
Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10, Blue Sky Drive-In
MAMMA MIA! — ♥♥1/4
(PG-13 — some sex-related comments) Movie version of the hit stage musical, with Meryl Streep as the villa owner on a Greek isle and Amanda Seyfried as her about-to-be married daughter. Wall-to-wall ABBA songs. 1 hour, 38 minutes.
Big Picture, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Linda Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Montrose 12, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24, Magic City Drive-In
MIRRORS — ♥1/2
(R — strong violence, disturbing images, language, brief nudity) An ex-cop and his family are the target of an evil force that is using mirrors as a gateway into their home. Stars Kiefer Sutherland and Paula Patton. 1 hour, 50 minutes.
Independence 10, Jackson Township Movies 10, Massillon 12, Valley View 24
THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — adventure action and violence) Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O'Connell. 1 hour, 52 minutes.
Garrettsville Cinemas, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Tinseltown USA
PINEAPPLE EXPRESS — ♥♥♥
(R — pervasive language, drug use, sexual references and violence) Drug-fueled caper doesn't stint on chronically loopy characters and funny situations. 1 hour, 52 minutes.
Garrettsville Cinemas, Highland Theatre, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill
PROUD AMERICAN
(PG — some mild thematic elements) — Five stories all of which magnify the themes of tolerance, freedom, education and personal responsibility. Documentary that depicts everyday Americans. 1 hour, 55 minutes.
Massillon 12
RIGHTEOUS KILL— ♥1/2
(R — violence, pervasive language, some sexuality and brief drug use) Two veteran New York City detectives nearing the end of their 30-year partnership elect to tackle one last big case. A vigilante has been killing criminals who escaped the legal system, leaving poems mocking the victims as a calling card. With Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10, Magic City Drive-In, Midway Drive-In
SPACE CHIMPS — ♥♥♥
(G) Space Chimps is a goofy animated space opera that sends three U.S. chimpanzee astronauts rocketing to a galaxy, as they say, far, far away. 1 hour, 20 minutes.
Montrose 12, Blue Sky Drive-In
STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS — ♥♥1/2
(PG — sci-fi action violence throughout, brief language, momentary smoking) Fairly fun if forgettable animated adventure that hurls Anakin, Obi-Wan Kenobi and the rest of the gang into a kidnapping conspiracy and rescue amid a galactic civil war. 1 hour, 38 minutes.
Big Picture, Huntington Street Cinema, Interstate Park Cinemas, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill
STEP BROTHERS — ♥1/2
(R — crude and sexual content, and pervasive language) Two adult men (Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly) are pulled into a new sibling rivalry after their respective single parents get hitched. 1 hour, 52 minutes.
Great Oaks Cinema
TELL NO ONE — ♥♥1/2
(Not rated — violence, sexual situations, nudity) A nifty — if overly complicated — thriller based on Harlan Coben's international best seller. In French with English subtitles. 2 hours, 5 minutes.
Cedar Lee
TRAITOR — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — intense violent sequences, thematic material, brief language) — An FBI agent (Guy Pearce) heads a conspiracy investigation that initially susses out a prime suspect: Samir Horn (Don Cheadle), a former special ops officer with strong ties to Afghan rebels in the Middle East. 1 hour, 53 minutes.
Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24, West Market Plaza 7, Magic City Drive-In, Midway Drive-In
TRANSSIBERIAN — ♥♥♥1/2
(R — some violence, including torture and language) One hell of a thriller. Emily Mortimer and Woody Harrelson play a couple who take the world's longest train journey from Beijing to Moscow. Along the way they encounter a young runaway from Seattle (Kate Mara) and her Spanish lover (Eduardo Noriega). 1 hour, 51 minutes.
Cedar Lee, Independence 10, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Montrose 12
TROPIC THUNDER — ♥♥♥
(R — pervasive language, including sexual references, violent content and drug material) Four actors shooting a war film in a foreign country find themselves stuck in a real, live war. With Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise. 1 hour, 47 minutes.
Cinemark Aurora 10, Great Oaks Cinema, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Valley View 24
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA — ♥♥♥
(PG-13 — mature thematic material involving sexuality, smoking) — Woody Allen's latest, starring Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson as American college girls who spend a summer in Barcelona. 1 hour, 31 minutes.
Big Picture, Cedar Lee, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas at Chapel Hill
WALL-E — ♥♥♥1/2
(G) Delightful animated story of a robot, in a world so filled with garbage that humans have escaped into orbiting spaceships. 1 hour, 38 minutes.
Garrettsville Cinemas, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Independence 10, Linda Theatre
THE WOMEN — ♥♥1/2
(PG-13 — sex-related material, language, some drug use and brief smoking) Happily married Mary (Meg Ryan) finds her world shaken when she discovers that her husband is cheating on her with shop girl Crystal (Eva Mendes). 1 hour, 52 minutes.
Carnation Cinema, Cinemark Aurora 10, Hudson Cinema 10, Huntington Street Cinema 16, Interstate Park Cinemas 18, Kent Plaza Theatre, Macedonia Cinemark 15, Massillon 12, Montrose 12, Plaza Cinemas 18, Shaker Square Cinemas, Tinseltown USA, Tower City Cinemas, Valley View 24, Wooster Movies 10
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